The Ontario government has confirmed it is closing some of its ServiceOntario locations and replacing them with centres inside Staples Canada stores.
This comes following an announcement by the government last month revealing it will be opening new ServiceOntario centres in select Staples locations in early 2024.
“ServiceOntario is moving forward with ways to improve customers experience, streamlining operations, and ensuring a sustainable and cost-effective way to meet the needs of Ontario communities,” Press Secretary for the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery, Doug Allingham, said in a statement to Now Toronto on Friday.
He says the office supply retail company was chosen due to the size of its stores, parking availability, number of locations across Ontario, and willingness to participate.
“Staples Canada was selected as all locations met this criteria and customers will be able to benefit from a 30% improvement to current service accessibility hours,” Allingham said.
However, he did not specify how many ServiceOntario locations will be shutting down, only that each location will be replaced with a new centre at select Staples stores.
He goes on to say that service should remain uninterrupted and that affected employees at the soon-to-be closed locations will be offered opportunities to continue working with Staples Canada.
In response, some Ontario residents are not happy with the move, with some claiming they are not comfortable sharing personal information with Staples employees.
